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The Clash were an English punk rock band who were active from 1976 to 1986, part of the original wave of UK punk rock in the late 1970s. The Clash went on to incorporate punk with reggae, rockabilly, dance, jazz, ska, and other styles.

The Clash's skilled musicianship and the passionate, left-wing political idealism of frontmen Joe Strummer and Mick Jones contrasted sharply with the nihilism of the Sex Pistols, the anarchism of Crass, and the basic simplicity of the Ramones.

Although the Clash were a major success in the UK from the release of their first album in 1977, they did not become popular in the US until 1980. Their third album, the late 1979 release London Calling is an influential album in the history of rock music; it was released in the US in January 1980, and a decade later Rolling Stone magazine declared it the best album of the 1980s. Rolling Stone also placed it at #8 on their list in 2003 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The Clash's attitude and style, as much as their music, influenced many other bands from the 1980s. Epic Records A&R director dubbed them "The Only Band That Matters" In 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by The Edge of U2. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Originally composed of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Keith Levene and Terry Chimes (credited, as a pun, on their first LP as "Tory Crimes"), the Clash formed in Ladbroke Grove, West London in 1976, during the first wave of British punk. Levene (later of Public Image Ltd.) was a friend of Mick Jones and served as guitarist and songwriter with The Clash, but never recorded with the band. According to Mick Jones in the 1999 Clash documentary Westway to the World, Levene was kicked out for never showing up to practice.

Strummer had previously played in the pub rock act The 101'ers (his stage name at this point was Woody Mellor; soon he would rename himself "Joe Strummer", a reference to his rudimentary strumming skills on the ukulele as a busker in the London Underground); Jones, Simonon, and Tony James (later of Generation X) were (briefly) in legendary proto-punk band London SS. At the behest of their manager Bernie Rhodes, Jones, Levene, and Simonon recruited the slightly older Strummer from the 101'ers. "You're great," they told him, "but your group is shit". Strummer agreed to join the group, which was named The Clash.

The new band had their first gig on July 4, 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols, and that autumn The Clash was signed to CBS Records. In early September, Levene left. Chimes left in late November (briefly replaced by Rob Harper for the Anarchy Tour in December 1976) but was soon drafted back to record their debut album. The Clash released their first single (White Riot/1977") and first album (The Clash) in 1977 to considerable success in the UK. However, CBS initially declined to release either in the United States, waiting until 1979 before releasing a modified version of the first album in the US, after the UK original had become the best-selling import album of all time in the United States.

Following the release of their first album, Chimes left amicably due to personal differences with the remaining members. In the documentary Westway to the World, Mick Jones referred to him as one of "the best drummers around". But Chimes, who had no great wish to make a career from music, said, "The point was that I wanted one kind of life - they wanted another, and why are we working together, if we want completely different things?" Chimes later joined the glam punk group Hanoi Rocks. The Clash experienced a period of changing drummers. Mick Jones recruited Nicholas Bowen Headon, who had solid timing and excellent musical skills.

The Clash were notable for their strident leftist political outlook and distinctive clothes, self painted with Jackson Pollock-style paint splashes and revolutionary slogans, such as "Sten Guns in Knightsbridge," "Under Heavy Manners," and "Heavy Discipline". Throughout 1977, Strummer and Jones were charged with a range of minor crimes ranging from petty vandalism to minor thefts.

After Combat Rock, the Clash began to disintegrate. Topper Headon was asked to leave The Clash just prior to the release of the album, due to his heroin addiction, which was hurting his health and drumming. The Clash's original drummer, Terry Chimes, was brought back for the next few months. The loss of Headon brought much friction, as he was an essential part of The Clash and well-liked by the others. Jones and Strummer began to feud. The Clash, although still touring arenas and opening up for The Who in stadiums on their tour in 1982 did not get along well; the original dates for the UK leg of the Combat Rock tour were cancelled when Strummer disappeared.

The Clash continued to tour, but by 1983, the years of constant touring and recording took their toll. They were growing as musicians and individuals, but they were not able to cope with the tension and stress. Chimes left The Clash after the 1982-1983 Combat Rock tour, due to the in-fighting and turmoil.

In 1983, drummer Pete Howard joined The Clash for the US Festival in San Bernardino, California, of which The Clash were, along with David Bowie and Van Halen, co-headliners. The crowd of roughly half a million was by far the biggest of the Clash's career. This was Jones' last appearance with The Clash. In September 1983, Jones was fired due to his problematic behaviour and divergent musical aspirations. Jones went on to found Big Audio Dynamite (BAD) with Don Letts, and both Strummer and Simonon collaborated with BAD at various times.

The Clash picked Nick Sheppard, formerly of the Bristol-based Cortinas, and Vince White as The Clash's new guitarists. Howard continued to be the drummer. The Clash played its first shows in January 1984 with a batch of new material and launched into a self-financed tour, dubbed the "Out of Control" tour, and The Clash toured heavily over the winter and into early summer. At a striking miners' benefit show ("Scargill's Christmas Party") in December 1984, The Clash announced that a new record would be released early in the new year.

The recording sessions for Cut the Crap were chaotic, with manager Bernie Rhodes and Strummer working in Munich, Germany. Most of the parts were played by studio musicians, with Sheppard and later White flying in to come up with guitar parts. Struggling with Rhodes for control of The Clash, Strummer returned home. The Clash went on a busking tour, playing in public spaces in cities throughout the UK where The Clash played acoustic versions of their hits and popular cover tunes.

After a gig in Athens, Strummer went to Spain to clear his mind. While Strummer was gone, the first single from Cut the Crap, "This Is England" was released to mostly negative reviews. The song, much like the rest of the album that came out later that year, had been drastically re-engineered by Rhodes, with synths, drum machines, and football-style chants being added to Strummer's incomplete recordings. Other songs played on the tour remain unreleased to this day: "Jericho", "Glue Zombie", and "In the Pouring Rain". Although Howard was an adept drummer, virtually all of the percussion tracks were produced by drum machines. The Clash was effectively disbanded and the members went on to other projects.